Art as a companion for quiet moments
I create art as an act of medicine — to be absorbed in the present moment, to heal, find peace, joy, and connection.
I paint the strength and realness of women, bringing them into connection with the land, water, animals, and ancestors. They share moments of transformation, comfort, and wisdom. Each piece is layered in collage, texture, and story, and brought alive with oil paint.
We all belong to this earth. We all have a long line of ancestors that stand with us. We each stand in connection.
I hope you find some companionship, safety, serenity, kindness, and belonging in being with my artwork.
18” x 24” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
11 × 14 mixed media oil paint. Wired and ready to hang.
Wood panel
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
9 × 12 mixed media oil paint. Wired and ready to hang.
Wood panel
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1 1/2”depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x 20” mixed media oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas.
Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x 20” mixed media oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas.
Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
14” x 18” mixed media oil painting on wood cradle panel (1 1/2” depth)
Wired and ready to hang.
Finally, with Love:
Sometimes, I wrap myself in a blanket of moments.
My hand on my heart,
breathing,
holding gently as I would hold others.
Listening—
to the spaces between.
Trusting the sacred wisdom of each layer of this life.
Soft tears and gentle joys.
I’ve walked away from pain before. Each step hard earned.
What would it be like to look in the mirror
and see not the reflection of a stern eye
but a hand extended in warmth.
Held in the gentle, protective hug of grandmother tree.
Finally, with love,
embracing, witnessing
the muddiness of my life.
A note about Pricing and Shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x20” mixed media oil painting
Standard depth 3/4” canvas. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
11 × 14 mixed media oil paint. Wired and ready to hang.
Wood cradle board, 1” depth
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
12”x 12” mixed media oil painting
Wood cradle board 1.5” depth. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
24” x 30” mixed media oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas (1 1/12” depth)
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16 × 20”mixed media oil canvas
Standard depth (3/4”)
Wired and ready to hang.
A note about Pricing and Shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
24” x 30” mixed media oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas (1 1/12” depth)
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x 20“ mixed media oil painting
Canvas panel. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16 × 20”mixed media oil canvas
Standard depth (3/4”)
Wired and ready to hang.
A note about Pricing and Shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x20” mixed media oil painting
Standard depth 3/4” canvas. Wired and ready to hang.
The dear, sweet lioness who has taught so many about the plight of the lions. From the Kevin Richardson Foundation in South Africa.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
16” x 20” mixed media oil painting.
Standard depth 3/4” canvas. Wired and ready to hang.
A note about pricing and shipping:
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
18” x 24” mixed media oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas (1 1/2” depth)
Wired and ready to hang.
In the Gentle Holding
She doesn’t yet know if this strength is hers or theirs—
whether it is safe to step out,
or how to step forward with an open heart.
She quietly watches,
with a gaze of fierce protection
for that which is most tender,
most true.
I don’t see how she chooses—
in the gentle holding,
from behind the shield.
I wonder how deep acceptance unfolds,
how strength holds memories of quiet knowing.
Is it safe?
Am I safe?
How do I feel safe
even when it is safe?
Let the knowing be the strength.
Let the knowing be the shield.
Let the knowing free the heart.
Let the strength be hers, theirs, and ours.
The shield and the step, both sacred.
Both true.
Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and include insured shipping within Canada and the United States.
International shipping is available by request and will be quoted separately.
Canadian collectors will receive a separate invoice for GST.
She Teaches Me
I paint women and animals whose souls speak from the canvas.
They teach me how to rest,
how to find my truth—
in stillness and in flow.
They teach me how to feel strong,
from their knowing
and their companionship.
They show me how to slow down
how to live in presence.
They show me how to take action—
each in relationship to the unfolding
of their hurts, discoveries, and transformations.
She is the raindrop on my cheek.
She is the warm light peeking over the horizon.
She is the butterfly wing.
She shares through her colors—
soft grey-blue layered with burgundy-orange.
She shares through her textures—
scrapes, scratches, and soft breaths.
She speaks through contrasts of light and shadow.
She is timeless.
She is deep love and connection.
She is kindness.
a trusted companion.
She reminds me to step into the light,
to breathe in and breathe out.
Melanie Rivers/Tiyaltelwet
Creating art brings me into the present moment — into stillness.
In this space, I’m no longer dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Through stillness, I find myself.
I find peace, clarity, and connection with my real emotions.
I am from the Squamish First Nation in Vancouver, Canada. My ancestral name is Tiyaltelwet.. I live and work in my community, drawing from traditional teachings and ancestry in my art practice. I am also of Scottish ancestry.
I share my home with my artist husband and our playful cat, Myshkin.
I believe we are all creative in our own way, and I’m deeply passionate about creating gentle, supportive spaces for women to engage with art-making. I am an experienced teacher and a trained Expressive Arts Practitioner. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute lessons to large, collaborative online art courses alongside artists I deeply admire, including Tamara Laporte, Ivy Newport and Kara Bullock. These collaborations have been a meaningful way to share art as a supportive, connective practice with a wide community of creatives.
My 27 years of work in Indigenous health, along with experience in curriculum design and instruction, inform how I design my lessons. I guide the creative process with care — step by step — always mindful of pace, nervous system, and self-kindness.
I believe art can be a place of rest. My work is grounded in nature, reflection, and the strength of women.